Lem’s latest: Mayweather calm before Guerrero storm

LAS VEGAS — The crowd members at the MGM Grand, site of Saturday night’s welterweight clash, cheered as underdog challenger Robert Guerrero weighed in at a trim and ready 147 pounds, the division limit.

There were comparative boos for Floyd Mayweather Jr. (46-0, 26 knockouts), 36, who by all accounts was never more chisled and ripped than he was on Friday at 146 pounds.

Mayweather will earn a purse of $32 million to the $3 million earned by Guerrero, tying Mayweather’s boxing record mark he earned with his unanimous decision victory over Miguel Cotto for the WBA’s junior middleweight belt last May.

Nicknamed “Money,” Mayweather made $85 million for his last two fights, comprised of his fourth-round knockout victory in September of 2011 that dethroned Victor Ortiz as WBC welterweight belholder, and his triumph over Cotto.

Mayweather holds the all-time record of pay-per-view buys with more than 2.5 million for his victory over current Golden Boy President Oscar De La Hoya in May of 2007, dethroning De La Hoya by ther’s split-decision for the WBC’s junior middleweight belt.

“From what I’ve personally observed in the film that I’ve seen, Robert Guerrero is a very, very dirty fighter. And all that I’ve said is that, here in Nevada, with Nevada being the best commission in all of boxing, they don’t allow those dirty tactics,” said Ellerbe.

“The holding with one hand and hitting behind the head. All of the little dirty things that he’s gotten away with in his fights, Nevada doesn’t play that. Floyd will just go out there and be Floyd, and everybody else will have to adapt. He’s just a dirty fighter, and that’s my opinion.”

But Mayweather said he is unconcerned about Guerrero’s perceived roughhouse tactics.

“I’ll let the referee do his job. That’s not really my focuse. I’m focused on going out there and being a clean fighter and executing the game plan,” said Mayweather.

“Nobody can really get under my skin. I’m Floyd Mayweather. When the fight gets here, I’ll go out there and do my best. I don’t keep up with their family and what they’re doing. I just try to focus on me and my family and just stay in my lane.”

THE OFFICIALS AND JUDGES

The Mayweather-Guerrero referee will be Robert Byrd of Las Vegas. The judges are Duane Ford and JerryRoth — each of whom is from Las Vegas as well as New York-based Julie Lederman.

Guerrero said he is not concerned about fairness among the judges.

THE GLOVES

Mayweather is expected to wear Grant brand gloves, and Guerrero, Reyes, according to Nevada State Athletic Commission exectutive director KeithKizer, adding that the fighters have agreed to wear 8-ounces gloves.

Elvis Grant, proprietor of Mayweather’s gloves, told RingTV.com that Ellerbe advised him that it was Mayweather who requested the gloves at that size.

ABNER MARES, DANIEL PONCE DE LEON, LEO SANTA CRUZ, ALEXANDER MUNOZ

Rising two-division titlewinner Abner Mares (25-0-1, 13 KOs) and hard-punching WBC featherweight titleholder Daniel Ponce de Leon (44-4, 35 KOs) will each make $375,000 for their co-main event, for which each of them weighed 126 pounds.

Mayweather will unveil five of his fighters on the undercard, including middleweight J’Leon Love (15-0, 8 KOs), a 25-year-old Michigan native now living in Las Vegas, who will face former junior middleweight Gabriel Rosado (21-6, 13 KOs), of Philadelphia.

Love and Rosado each made the division limit 160 after initially being over. Rosado removed his socks after being 160.5, and Love returned after nearly an hour after having been 161.5.